The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-06
RESORTING TO VANDALISM.
Striking Printers Wreck the Daily Sem
tinel's Mechanical Department.
They Break Into the Building, Mix Up and
''Pi' All the Type, Carry Away Mate
rial and Do Much Damage.

When the Journal and Sentinel printers quit
| work a few weeks ago in resistance Of the right
of employers to employ whom they pleased and
to conduct their business according to their own
ide as, great pretension was made on the part of
the strikers TO rely moral influence in
n ain tanning their position. In the beginning
there individual instances Of petty annoy
ance to the new printers and efforts to dis
turb the workings of the Sentinel Office, but
these seemed to follow from preconcertsd
effort. They were rather the ebulltions of tenn
per at the failure Of the dire results that were
expected to follow their leaving Offices they
could not control Matters going on quiet
ly and satisfactorily. Apparently this did not
suit of the strikers. persons whether
authorized or unauthorized, acting in their in
terests. for the quiet tenor of affairs was dis
turbed yesterday morning by an act of vandal-
ism at the Sentinel Office.
The Sentinel news-room is in the third story
of building that fronts on Market street. The
building, that portion of it IN which the
news room is placed. has depth of about nine
ty feet but the first story extends to Court
street. which lies between it and the Bates
House. In this extension is the Sentinel bind
cry and from its roof easy access with short
ladder can be- had to the Sentinels news-room.
Yesterday morning about o'clock the nights
work of the Sentinel printers had been COM
pleted There was one on the upper floors,
bnt the pressmen were busy in the basement
running off the morning issue. Across the
narrow street ladder leaned against the Bates
House. It had been left there by paint
ers, when between and O'Clock some persons
found It. They placed it against the building.
got on the roof and pulled the ladder mp after
them and again placed it under an
open window that leads into the
news-room in the third story.
At o'clock when the forms were pulled up into
a tha m icatf hat
one had been causing havoc among the cases.
An examination of the material showed that all
the type in forty-si casss had been pied. This
was serious matter in itself. those
quainted with tho business know that the mixing
of type entails an almost endless job of getting
them into their proper boxes again. In the
Sentiners equipment are twenty-five cases each
of minion and nonpareil type All of these ex-
cept four. which the rascals did not find, were
shaken together the nonpare! with the mir&on
All the minion spaces were taken from the Office.
which would render that font of type useless.
even if it had not been pied. The vandals how
ever. did not stop with this outrage They
threw together all the display and advertising
type, pied all the standing ''phat." and destroyed
in the same manner fifteen columns of live mat
days editions. Many little things were done.
such throwing rules about the Office and
overturniug furniture. Whatever promised TO
interfere with the printers in their work, the
malicious rascals did not hesitate to do.
The destruction and confusion were no doubt
caused by men who are thoroughly acquainted
find everything and what to do. 1t out
rage that had been deliberately planned, and
they only needed chance at the forms to
cripple the Office entirely. Had they got hold of
the forms ii is probable there would have been
no Sentinel to-day, but as 1t is Mr. Crag's re-
quest for his printers to go to work
much earlier than usual IL get
ting the Office into something like
working order again willingly answered.
By noon the type was in a large measure made
ready for use again and the paper will be out to-
day as usual. 1t required the close work OF
thirty printers from o'clock until late in the
afternoon to get the type in place Mr.. Craig
telegraphed to Cincinnati early in the fhorning
for minion spaces which he received on late
afternoon train. While the printers were
Strengthening the Office at IL o'clock yesterday
four or five men came into the vacant lot in the
rear of the State Library where they had good
view of the Sentinel . news room. They threw
large stones into the windows. breaking the
glass and nearly hitting several of the printers,
who afterwards made a rush down stairs to capt
the scoundrels. but they took to their heels
when they saw the printers start for them.